Empty Nest
by Back-From-A-Guilt-Trip
Summary: Megamind and Roxanne's daughter grew up too fast. One-shot.


**Disclaimer: **I do not own Megamind.

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**Empty Nest**

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Roxanne found her husband poring over the photographs of their daughter again. He had them out of the album, spread out on the living room table. Emma as a baby, wrapped in her pink blanket. Emma as a one-year-old with birthday cake smeared all over her face. Emma at five, hugging the child-proof Brainbot companion Megamind had built for her. Emma winning first place at a science fair at age seven, then at age eight, then at age nine, and so on. Emma at her high school graduation, age thirteen. Emma on her first day of veterinary school, age fourteen. She was waving at the camera in the last photograph, while standing in front of the prestigious university she'd won a scholarship from. It looked like she was waving goodbye.

Having a daughter who was half-alien was both a blessing and a curse. Although she had an average-sized head, she certainly had more than an average-sized intellect. Roxanne couldn't recall a single time where Emma had asked for help with her homework, or needed assistance studying for a test. She whipped right through school in a blink of an eye, astounding every teacher, never getting a grade below an A. Emma was a brilliant girl, a model student. It was every parent's dream to have such a child. So why was it that when Megamind looked up from the photographs and met Roxanne's eyes, she saw sadness in them?

"She's all grown up," he said quietly.

Roxanne nodded and brushed her bangs off her face. "She is."

Megamind picked up the photograph of Emma operating the Spider-Bot for the first time (age six) and stared at it. "It happened too quickly. I wanted her to be our little girl for a little longer."

"Oh, honey." Roxanne sat down next to him on the couch and pulled him close to her. "Just because she's got a full-time job now doesn't mean that she still isn't our little girl."

"I know, but—" He sighed, shook his head. He carefully placed the photograph back on the table. "She couldn't have taken a year off after finishing college? She was only eighteen. We could've taken her to Europe or something."

"She wanted to get her career rolling right away. She's _our_ daughter, remember?" Roxanne teased him. But Megamind didn't smile. "Listen, at dinner we can ask her if it's possible for her to take a leave of absence from the animal hospital. Just a week or two. We can go to Scotland and visit some of my Dad's cousins. Or we could go to Paris. Emma would love Paris."

"_If _Emma comes home for dinner tonight," Megamind pointed out. "_If_ there isn't an outbreak of ringworm in the canine ward. _If _someone doesn't bring in a deer that got hit by a car on the highway._ If_ one of the other vets doesn't ask her to—"

"_Megamind."_

"What?"

"We need to be supportive of our daughter's responsibilities!" Roxanne exclaimed. "I know it's hard. I'd like to have her home every night too. But this is how things worked out, and we have to deal with it. Our daughter has her dream job! Aren't you happy for her?"

"I am!" Megamind cried. His eyes welled up with tears. "Oh, Roxie, I am. I'm so proud of her. My baby girl, Metro City's youngest vet! I'm the proudest Dad alive. I'm…I'm so sorry."

Roxanne passed him the tissue box and he wiped his eyes, blew his nose. She took a tissue for herself and dabbed at her own moist eyes. "She was going to grow up sooner or later, Megamind. It just happened sooner. Put the photographs away now, okay?"

"Okay." Megamind began to slide them back into their spots in the photo album. In every one, Emma's beautiful, lively, intelligent green eyes looked out at her parents. This was their only child, their precious angel. Where had the years gone?

They heard the front door slam, and they both jumped in surprise. "Mom?! Dad?! Uncle Minion?! I'm home!"

It was Emma. Emma in the flesh, at nineteen-years-old. Dr. Emma Ritchi, to be more precise. Megamind and Roxanne heard her unzip her jacket. "Where is everyone?!" she called out.

Her Mom and Dad looked at each other. It was unusual for her to be home so early. "We're in the living room!" Roxanne called back.

Emma came into the room, yawning because she'd left for her shift at the hospital at six-thirty that morning. She was tall, slender. Blue and bald. She always moved with a sense of purpose, even when she was tired and off of work "What's with the album?" she asked her parents. "Are you picking the photo you're gonna use on the news if I ever get kidnapped?"

She had inherited her mother's sense of humour. "We're just looking back on some memories, sweetheart," Megamind choked.

"How was work, honey?" Roxanne asked her daughter. "We thought for sure that you'd be back way later."

"It was a slow day, so they let me leave early. Emma explained as she stretched out a cramp in her arm. "I can actually have dinner with you guys today! It's a miracle! We should go out. I've been craving tacos like crazy—"

She paused, noticing that both her parents had red-rimmed eyes. "Aww, Dad, have you been crying? You too, Mom?"

Megamind sniffed and reached for another tissue. "It's nothing, sweetheart. Don't worry about us."

"You dorks! I worry about you all the time!" Emma went over to her parents on the couch and hugged them both tightly, at the same time. "I love you guys so much! I'm sorry I'm not home more often. Would it help if I tried to get some time off?"

A month later, another photograph was added to the album. It was a family picture, taken in Paris. Emma, her parents, and Minion were posed in a spot where the Eiffel Tower could be seen clearly behind them. Megamind was making bunny ears behind Roxanne's head. Minion was holding a box of pastries he'd just bought. And Emma, like always, was smiling like a girl who knew how good a life she had.


End file.
